Much said, lots unsaid
Cyrus P Mistry bowed out with dignity after the Supreme Court verdict in the long-drawn Tata-Mistry tussle, with a statement that he was personally disappointed with the verdict. In the statement, he said he would be “eternally grateful” for the opportunity he got to work with the group. While CPM, as he is fondly known, said much including that he sleeps with a “clear conscience” and stands by the integrity of his actions and their consequences, much was left unsaid, too. For instance, his lament that he would not be able to influence the direction of governance of the Tata Group. Reading between the lines, that he could not ensure a board-driven system of decision-making and governance that is larger than any ‘one individual’.
Can’t bank on digital
The last week saw two events that has left consumers wondering about the much-touted move to a less cash or cashless economy. While a chunk of customer dataset of payment major MobiKwik was allegedly available for sale on the Dark Web in a major security breach, customers of HDFC Bank were left stranded on March 30 as its net and mobile banking channels were down. Netizens were quick to question on social media how far a cashless economy was possible, and many wondered if cash was still king.
Trouble double
A leading private sector bank doesn’t want to be in the hot water alone. This bank’s customers faced intermittent problems with internet and mobile banking channels earlier this week. This news was all over. By mid-week when a rival public sector bank’s customers started complaining on Twitter that its alternative banking channels — internet and app banking and UPI — were not working, the private bank’s PR machinery went into overdrive, diligently informing media about its rival’s woes. Clearly, the private bank doesn’t want to be alone when the regulator comes investigating.
Twitterati’s camaraderie
Edelweiss Asset Management Company’s MD and CEO Radhika Gupta’s Twitter post on the delay in getting possession of a home she bought in Mumbai, resonated with home-buyers, many of whom shared their similar experiences. Across the country, many builders’ date of completion of a project mentioned on the RERA website and that in the brochures rarely tally.
There have been a number of instances of RERA fining developers in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra for providing wrong information. In unusual camaraderie, Twitterati’s consensus was a demand for stringent rules.
No exceptions
The recent order of the Karnataka government banning public functions created more confusion among public in Dakshina Kannada district than clarity. As ordered by the Chief Secretary, post a high-level meeting of the Chief minister, on March 27, the Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner issued a notification under the Disaster Management Act on March 30 banning all local festivals and celebrations in public and religious places.
That evening, the Minister in-charge of the district issued a clarification that events already scheduled can continue with Covid guidelines. This created a confusion among the public. Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar, who was in Mangaluru, tersely said that whatever was decided at the CM’s meeting applies to all districts.
Rahul’s lament
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sparked a controversy with his comments at a global forum. In a virtual conversation with Harvard University professor and former US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, Gandhi said that “there is a wholesale capture of the institutional framework of this country.
There is absolute financial and media dominance that the BJP has. It is not just Congress, the BSP, SP, NCP are not winning elections.... I don’t hear anything from the US establishment about what is happening in the media in India.”
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